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Give feedback someone can use

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Use one small fictional moment and one skill. The observer first describes the actual words or action, then relates them to the purpose of the exercise. “You asked what the refusal meant before offering another task” is more useful than “You were empathic.”

The person in the client role reports how the response felt in the exercise. That is valuable feedback, not proof of how a real client would respond. One role-player’s preference is not a treatment-fidelity score.

Repeat with one purposeful change. Then change the facts: the person is exhausted, the feared event is real, the task is inaccessible, or a different emotion is present. The learner explains why the next response changes.

Neither partner is diagnosing, treating, or assessing the other’s professional competence. End by stepping out of the roles and checking whether both are ready to move on.